Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - The dengue virus has claimed 120 lives across Mexico so far this year, according to the Federal Ministry of Health's Undersecretary of Disease Preventive and Control Hugo Lopez-Gatell, who said that the number of Dengue cases in the country have increased during the 2019 rainy season, which runs from June to October.

There are outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease every year, but the number of cases has been on the rise over the past four decades, he added.

But, this year, there were more dengue cases by the end of July than in all of 2018.

"It's true that this year we have seen three times more dengue (cases), yes, it is true. (But) this is a phenomenon that has occurred several other years," Lopez-Gatell said.

"The people who died from dengue ... it has to do with them not receiving timely medical care in many cases, because they came too late to the health facilities."

According to Lopez-Gatell, the states with the largest number of cases are Chiapas in the southeast, Jalisco in the west, Morelos in the center, and Veracruz in the east.

The Jalisco Ministry of Health (SSJ) reported that, to date, 924 cases of classic dengue, and 280 hemorrhagic cases have been confirmed in the State this year. Out of the 1,204 cases of this mosquito-borne disease, two deaths caused by dengue fever have occurred.

Just over 100 of these cases were reported in Puerto Vallarta, despite the Municipal Government's ongoing awareness-raising and prevention efforts, which have been recognized by the Jalisco Ministry of Health, since Municipal Public Services, the Directorate of Social Development, and DIF are all doing their part in the city's fight against dengue.

Working with the SSJ's Region 8 Health team, Municipal Public Service workers are sweeping through neighborhoods in search of potential breeding grounds of the aedes aegypti mosquito, the transmitter of these diseases. To date, 650 tons of debris, such as discarded tires or other receptacles that collect rainwater and attract mosquitoes, have been removed from colonias throughout the municipality.

Puerto Vallarta's Social Development and Family Services departments are strengthening the Mayor's efforts through awareness-raising and prevention actions, like knocking on doors to inform residents of the symptoms of these diseases and to share techniques for keeping their homes mosquito free, and DIF's 'Healthy Family' program.

At a meeting with the Jalisco Ministry of Health held at city hall last week, the SSJ's regional health director, Jaime Álvarez Zayas, acknowledged Mayor Arturo Dávalos and his team's commitment to addressing this public health issue through prevention and education.

"The municipality's efforts with respect to the prevention and control of dengue is something that is not done in other cities of the state. The Vallarta Model is an example for the entire state of Jalisco, without these efforts there would have thousands of cases in this city," he said.